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Progressive muscle relaxation

Muscle relaxation technique

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The technique is a two-step process. It involves learning to relieve the tension in specific muscle groups by first tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. When the muscle tension is released, attention is directed towards the differences felt during tension and relaxation so that the patient learns to recognize the contrast between the states.

Progressive muscle relaxation is used in many ways. It can influence conditions like anxiety, insomnia, stress, depression, and pain and may have beneficial long term effects. It is also effective for many populations, including both children and adults. People in many different situations can learn to perform progressive muscle relaxation. It is simple to learn and is used in hospital and non-hospital settings.

History

Progressive muscle relaxation was initially developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson. He first presented the technique at Harvard University in 1908. Jacobson continued to work on this topic throughout his life and wrote several books about it.

In 1929, Jacobson published the book Progressive Relaxation, which included a detailed procedure for removing tension in the muscles. Relaxation is the opposite of tension, so his work led to the use of the word "relax" to describe the act of becoming less tense, anxious, or stressed. Jacobson believed that rest and relaxation were different concepts. He explained that people can be tense when they are resting, but they cannot be tense when they are relaxed.

Jacobson designed the progressive muscle relaxation so that it could address a large number of mental and physical conditions. In his 1934 book,You Must Relax: A Practical Method of Reducing the Strains of Modern Living, Jacobson noted the potential applications of his technique. He claimed that progressive muscle relaxation could be beneficial for illness, heart disease, insomnia, and indigestion. However, he believed that only qualified physicians and experts could teach other people the technique. The initial progressive muscle relaxation technique that Jacobson developed required weekly instruction and daily practice.

Eventually, Joseph Wolpe shortened Jacobson's technique to a 20 minute exercise. Wolpe used progressive muscle relaxation to counteract people's fear response. Progressive muscle relaxation developed over many years as other scientists and doctors made changes to the technique. There are many variations of the progressive muscle relaxation technique today.

During the 1970s, medical institutions recognized relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation as safe and effective alternatives to drug treatments for certain conditions like anxiety, insomnia, and hypertension. The medical world also viewed muscle relaxation as a technique that could effectively promote well-being. However, medical institutions now describe progressive muscle relaxation as a type of complementary medicine since the term "alternative" may imply that the therapy is a replacement for modern medicine. Progressive muscle relaxation can be effectively used with other modern medical treatments or other complementary therapies that promote health.

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